In Minnesota, but new 'round these parts

[G Santana]

Welcome to the Reef

 

[OnlyGenusCaps]

Welcome to Reef2Reef! I've been in your area twice and once paid a visit to a LFS called Reef Collective. They had some super cool display tanks that I got some inspiration on. Don't know if you've ever visited but I would say its worth a trip.

Thanks! I have had the chance to go over there. I even was able to chat with the manager there. He is a super nice guy, and was so generous with his time and knowledge! We had a great conversation about LED lights as I was curious about his experience with different setups. I'll be back there for sure!

 

[Fish Think Pink]

I am living in the Twin Cities of Minnesota, a member of the Minnesota Aquarium Society (MAS), and working toward my first marine tank. I've kept FW fish and amphibians before. But I want to make the leap into SW. Here is a run down of my plans.

I'll be converting an acrylic 42 gal bowfront, with a 10 gal as a sump. That's in place as a FW, but the sump will be reconfigured. I've got a skimmer and roller mat for the new sump set up. There is only one return (I know, redundancy is good, but I'm sort of stuck with that).

I'm planning on biome cycling the tank. I have a 20 gal QT ready to go for all livestock. I like breeding fish, so right now I'm planning on clowns, and another yet to be determined fish I can breed. Plus, I'd like to do softies and some LPS in there eventually. As well as, snails, shrimp, and assorted invert CUC. I am looking forward to the challenge of breeding marine species! I'll have a separate breeding setup dedicated in my basement.

At the moment, I'm at least a month out from putting the tank together. I need to BAP out and give away the cichlids that currently live in the tank. The thing I am researching now is the habitat needs for the fish, and the first corals I want to put in. This, I hope, will allow me to assemble the scape into something appropriate for the species I'd like to house.

I think I have an idea of what I need for the clowns, but I can't decide on a second species that would play well with the clowns, and I could breed. Top contenders are royal gramma (Gramma loreto), orchid dottyback (Pseudochromis fridmani), and striped blenny (Meiacanthus grammistes). I'd be open to other suggestions as well. One of the things I am struggling with though is understanding the tank habitat each of the species prefers, so I can pick one and design the rockwork to fit for them. Any suggestions on where I can look that up?

Also, I'm trying to find a fairly comprehensive guide to aquarium corals, either website or book, with cultivation useful information, so tht I can better fmiliarize myself with those too. I'd greatly appreciate suggestions on that as well.

Lastly, I'd like to thanks all of the contributors here over the years who have build this forum into the incredible resource that it is! I look forward to learning more.

Welcome! Glad you joined. My royal gramma LOVED swimming thru the holes of dead coral in my FOWLR many years ago. While that style of decorating is fading away, with holey rock (lace rock or whatever), hammer, Marco mortar and some creativity, you could fashion an attractive aquascape they could swim, hide and play within. There are lots of videos out there on creating your own aquascapes, just plan yours with holds for your fish to swim thru.

Have you considered starting your build thread? I found its a great place to document my tank's evolution for myself. I started tank first then joined, so I'm still finding myself going back collecting pictures & updating historically as well as current state. Once you create your first post in your thread and link it to your account, they will give you build badge (look left, under my ID). A lot of what you've already written above would be great starting place, just cut/copy it out and over into another thread in the Forum are for Member Tanks, then link it to your account.

This might help you find more people local to you in Minnesota:

Local Reef Club Discussion

Looking for some locals to share frags and info with? This is the place! Find a local club that meets in your area! If you want to add your club just contact us.

www.reef2reef.com

This is a good reference book type online article I still review:

The Supreme Guide To Setting Up A Saltwater Reef Aquarium

This article was sponsored by @MarineDepot at www.marinedepot.com. Introduction The marine environment is one of the most complex systems on the planet. The aquarium you are about to set up is only a tiny sliver of the vast ocean, but it is no...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[Jimbhoy13]

Welcome to R2R and the salty world. Lots of knowledgeable and helpful people here who will support and advise you when needed.

 

[revhtree]

Welcome to your new home for saltwater reef aquarium resources and fun! Welcome to the family!

 

[OnlyGenusCaps]

My royal gramma LOVED swimming thru the holes of dead coral in my FOWLR many years ago.

Thanks! That was a really kind and helpful reply! The information about the gramma was really useful too, and just the sort of thing I'm curious about!

 

[ShepherdReefer]

Hello, and welcome to the channel.

 

[Adolfo]

 

[Buckster]

Hello and Welcome to R2R!